UC-NRLF 


L  B 

ZShI 

E6 


$B    lb    1S3 


THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 
BULLETIN 


EXTENSION  SERIES 

VOLUME  I  NUMBFR    -1 


CONSOLIDATION      OF  SCHOOLS 
IN  MISSOURI 

BY 

R.  H.  Emberson 
As.'-iitant  Professor  of  Rural  Education 


T^- 


UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 

COLUMBIA,  MISSOURI 
October.  1913 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/consolidationofsOOemberich 


THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 

BULLETIN 


EXTENSION  SERIES 

VOLUME    I  NUMBER  3 


CONSOLIDATION  OF  SCHOOLS 
IN  MISSOURI 

BY 

R.  H.  Emberson 

Assistant  Professor  of  Rural  Education 


UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 

COLUMBIA.  MISSOURI 

October,  1913 


&'U 


A  CONTENTS. 

Page 

Nature   of   Consolidation    ' 3 

Advantages    of    Consolidation    6 

Objections   to    Consolidation 12 

Consolidation   in    Missouri    15 

How  to  Consolidate    16 

Law   for   Consolidation    18 

Law   for  Joint   High    Schools .' 19 

Law  for  Transportation    20 


>ViV>>f{><f 


CONSOLIDATION  OF  SCHOOLS  IN  MISSOURI 

INTRODUCTION 

In  November,  1911,  the  University  issued  a  bulletin  on  consolida- 
tion of  rural  schools.  This  second  bulletin  has  been  prepared  to 
explain  the  new  consolidation  laws,  to  create  sentiment  in  favor  of 
the  movement,  and  to  suggest  plans  of  procedure. 

All  literature  on  the  subject  has  been  examined  and  that  which 
is  applicable  to  Missouri  has  been  used.  Much  material  has  been 
collected  by  correspondence  with  experts  upon  consolidation  in  sev- 
eral states. 

The  University  of  Missouri  has  established  a  Bureau  of  Consoli- 
dation to  which  letters  upon  any  of  the  questions  involved  may  be 
addressed.  Plats  and  information  about  proposed  plans  may  be  sent 
to  the  Bureau  if  an  opinion  as  to  methods  of  procedure  is  desired. 
The  University,  the  State  Department  of  Education,  the  Normal 
Schools,  and  a  number  of  county  superintendents  are  all  deeply 
interested  in  consolidation  and  will  gladly  give  assistance  whenever 
it  is  possible. 

Address  all  communications  with  the  University  to  the  Bureau  of 
Consolidation,  University  of  Missouri,  Columbia,   Missouri. 

THE  NATURE  OF  CONSOLIDATION 

The  most  important  educational  problem  in  America  is  that  of 
the  rural  schools.  The  last  generation  has  witnessed  great  advance- 
ment along  educational  lines  but  it  has  been  confined  to  city  schools, 
normal  schools  and  universities.  Little  progress  has  been  made  in 
the  country  schools.  These  institutions  have  not  felt  the  influence 
of  the  forward  movement  that  has  characterized  the  last  two  decades. 
There  are  some  good  country  schools  in  which  earnest,  capable  men 
and  women  are  doing  excellent  work  but  the  great  majority  of  them 
are  not  serving  the  community  needs. 

It  is  useless  to  talk  about  restoring  the  old-fashioned  country 
school.  The  large  enrollment  which  was  due  to  the  attendance  of 
grown  boys  and  girls  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  social  interest  and 
coherence  that  once  made  these  schools  a  center  of  influence  is  no 
longer  possible.  In  order  to  put  new  life  into  country  schools  and 
to  restore  them  to  their  former  usefulness,  it  is  necessary  to  have 
larger  school  units.  This  is  possible  under  consolidation,  a  plan 
which  has  commended  itself  to  thinking  people  and  has  been  tried 
in  many  states. 

(3) 


333283 


•-»=  "  •*    ~   ->• 


">  "•  »   -•  • 

if*  • 


•  » 


5  "-a 


4  UNIVERSITY    OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

By  consolidation  is  meant  the  combining  of  two  or  more  dis- 
tricts or  parts  of  districts,  each  having  three  directors,  into  one  large 
district  having  six  directors.  It  means  the  same  business  manage- 
ment applied  in  the  rural  schools  that  is  applied  in  city  schools.  It 
means  cooperation  which  is  a  principle  that  must  be  applied  in  the 
solution  of  the  Rural  Life  Problem. 

The  American  farmer  is  independent;  his  mode  of  life  has  made 
him  such.  His  task  has  been  to  clear  forests,  erect  homes  and  to 
undergo  hardship.  The  distance  between  rural  homes  has  developed 
a  spirit  of  self-reliance.  But  while  the  environment  of  the  farmer 
has  developed  some  noble  characteristics,  he  has  failed  to  realize  the 
great  advantage  of  cooperation  which  has  contributed  so  much  to 
modern  enterprises  found  in  the  cities. 

The  chief  reason  for  the  great  development  of  the  city  as  com- 
pared with  the  county  is  due  to  cooperation.  The  water  plant,  the 
lighting  system,  the  paving  and  the  sewerage  could  not  be  accom- 
plished by  one  individual  working  alone.  Yet  it  is  not  difficult  when 
the  municipality  as  a  whole  puts  its  hand  to  the  task. 

Consolidation  means  cooperation  in  rural  school  affairs.  What 
is  impossible  for  one  district  working  alone,  becomes  an  easy  matter 
where  three  or  four  or  five  districts  work  together. 

There  is  only  one  principle  upon  which  to  work  for  consolida- 
tion of  schools.     That  is,  improved  service.     Cheapness  is  no  argu- 


One  of  the  log  school  houses  still  ii»  use  In  Missouri.     There  is  nothing  in 
this  environment  that  appeals  to  country  children. 


CONSOLIDATION    OF    SCHOOLS  5 

ment.  The  school  which  gives  the  people  the  best  service  for  the 
money  spent  is  the  best  school. 

Farmers  realize  the  importance  of  fertile  soil,  better  barns  and 
improved  machinery  but  they  have  shown  very  little  concern  in  the 
welfare  of  the  rural  school.  They  make  liberal  investments  in  land, 
stock  and  farm  equipment  and  they  will  even  borrow  money  for 
these  things,  while  the  school  and  those  things  that  make  for  its 
efficiency  are  neglected.  Poor  buildings,  poor  equipment,  poor  ar- 
rangement and  unsanitary  conditions  in  the  school  are  continued 
year  after  year.  Country  people  need  to  realize  that  a  poor  school 
is  very  dear  at  any  price.  Only  when  the  school  is  run  at  the  highest 
rate  of  speed,  only  when  every  day  counts  for  something  in  the  life 
of  its  pupils  is  the  institution  doing  work  that  is  really  worth  while. 

Country  schools  are  maintained  on  very  low  taxes.  The  number 
of  children  enrolled  in  the  city  schools  of  Missouri  is  not  as  large 
as  the  number  enrolled  in  the  country  schools,  yet  the  city  spends 
in  buildings,  equipment  and  teachers  over  four  times  as  much  for 
the  education  of  its  children  as  the  country  spends. 

The  average  annual  salary  for  teachers  in  country  schools  is 
$302.01,  while  in  cities  it  is  $624.83.  The  annual  expenditure  per 
child  enrolled  in  the  country  school  is  $10.38,  while  in  the  city  school 
it  is  $24.16.  The  average  levy  for  school  purposes  in  the  country 
is  53.2  cents  on  the  $100.00  valuation,  while  in  the  city  it  is  98.6  cents. 
This  shows  that  the  cities  are  spending  very  much  more  money  for 
the  maintenance  of  their  schools  than  the  country  is  spending  and 
this  is  the  chief  reason  why  the  schools  in  the  city  have  made  so 
much  more  progress  during  the  last  twenty  years  than  the  country 
schools  have  made.  People  in  the  town  want  good  schools  and  are 
willing  to  pay  for  them.  The  country  child,  however,  is  entitled  to 
as  good  opportunity  to  secure  an  education  as  that  afforded  the  city 
child. 

A  consolidated  school  in  which  a  good  high  school  is  maintained 
will  cost  more  than  a  one-room  school,  but  it  will  give  country 
children  much  better  advantages — it  will  give  them  a  "square  deal." 

It  might  be  possible  to  run  consolidated  schools  as  cheaply  as 
one-room  schools  but  they  would  be  poor  and  unsatisfactory.  No 
community  should  boast  of  a  cheap  school;  it  should  not  be  satisfied 
with  anything  but  the  best.  The  question  should  be,  "How  well  has 
the  money  been  spent?" 

When  the  advantages  of  consolidated  schools  are  once  under- 
stood, more  people  will  favor  the  plan.  In  many  sections  of  the 
state  the  people  will  vote  for  better  schools  if  the  matter  is  brought 
forcibly  to  their  attention  and  made  clear.    The  friends  of  consolida- 


6 


UNIVERSITY    OF    MISSOURI   BULLETIN 


tion  should  make  the  proposition  plain  and  simple  and  the  agitation 
should  be  for  good  schools  and  not  for  cheap  schools. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  CONSOLIDATION 

The  friends  of  good  schools  often  desire  a  statement  of  the  ad- 
vantages to  be  gained  by  consolidation.  In  this  bulletin  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  bring  together  results  that  have  followed  from 
actual  cases  of  consolidation  and  thus  to  give  practical  suggestions 
to  those  interested  in  the  proposition. 

I.  It  Educates  the  Child  at  Home.  Through  consolidation 
country  boys  and  girls  are  furnished  a  good  education  from  the  pri- 
mary grades  through  the  high  school,  without  sending  them  away 
from  home.  Where  the  plan  is  adopted  it  is  not  necessary  to  send 
boys  and  girls  who  have  completed  the  common  school  course  to 
town  and  to  board  them  in  a  strange  home,  in  order  to  give  them 
high  school  advantages;  neither  is  it  necessary  to  leave  the  farm  and 
to  move  to  town  for  this  purpose. 

Consolidation  gives  boys  and  girls  in  the  rural  districts  equal 
advantages  with  children  in  cities  and  towns.  It  gives  them  the 
advantages  of  good  graded  schools  and  of  a  high  school.  They  spend 
the  day  under  the  supervision  of  well  trained  teachers  working  with 
their  neighbors  and  friends.  At  the  close  of  the  school  day  they 
return  to  their  own  homes  where  they  assist  in  the  chores  and  the 
evening  is  spent  studying  under  parental  care  and  oversight. 

In  consolidated  districts  where  a  high  school  is  maintained,  the 
course  of  study  can  be  so  arranged  as  to  give  a  good  course  in  agri- 
culture, domestic  science  and  manual  training.  This  tends  to  keep 
boys  and  girls  on  the  farm  instead  of  encouraging  them  to  leave  it 
and  to  go  to  town.  They  are  kept  in  touch  with  the  open  country 
where  three-fourths  of  them  will  spend  their  lives.  This  is  one  of 
the  best  advantages  of  the  plan.  Under  the  present  system  only  five 
per  cent  of  country  children  are  able  to  get  the  advantages  of  a  high 
school  by  leaving  home  and  going  to  the  city.  By  consolidation 
these  advantages  would  be  brought  to  every  boy  and  girl  within  the 
consolidated  district. 

II.  Health  Is  Improved.  The  health  of  the  pupils  is  better 
guarded  when  they  are  conveyed  from  their  homes  to  the  school  in 
comfortable  vehicles,  warm  and  dry,  than  when  they  have  to  travel 
through  mud  and  snow  a  mile  or  two  and  sit  all  day  with  wet  feet 
and  soggy  clothing  as  they  often  do  under  present  condftions. 

Pupils  are  under  the  care  of  responsible  persons  from  the  time 
they  leave  home  in  the  morning  until  they  return  at  night.  This  tends 
to  prevent  difficulties  on  the  way  home  such  as  loitering,  quarrelling, 


o 

C    en 
<T>    r- 


cr  q^ 


O      r-h 

ft)    p 

O-  <; 

o 

°^ 


H 


8 


UNIVERSITY    OF   MISSOURI    BULLETIN 


etc.  Children  are  protected  from  those  offences  against  decency  and 
good  morals  so  common  on  the  road  to  and  from  school — conditions 
well  understood  by  everyone  who  has  given  the  matter  serious  con- 
sideration. 

III.  The  Economy  of  the  Plan.  There  are,  on  an  average,  three 
pupils  every  year  finishing  work  in  each  country  school.  If  four  dis- 
tricts should  combine  this  would  make  the  number  twelve.  If  it  cost 
$200.00  per  year  to  pay  the  board,  tuition,  and  other  necessary  ex- 
penses of  each  of  these  pupils  to  attend  a  high  school  in  town  (a 
moderate  estimate),  the  total  cost  would  amount  to  $2400.00.  A  good 
teacher  can  be  secured  to  give  these  pupils  two  years  high  school 
training  for  $900.00  a  year,  which  would  make  a  net  saving  of  $1500.00. 
In  case  two  teachers  should  be  employed,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
amount  spent  by  the  district  for  high  school  training  in  city  schools 
would  pay  the  salary  of  the  teachers  and  janitor  service  and  there 
would  be  a  good  balance  remaining. 

Under  this  system  the  rich  and  the  poor  would  have  nearly  equal 
advantages  in  securing  a  high  school  education.  What  is  now  the 
privilege  of  the  few  would  become  equally  the  opportunity  of  all.  It 
gives  an  opportunity  to  the  promising,  ambitious  boy  or  girl  regard- 


Manual   trainnig:   is   provided   in   many   rural   hig:h   schools.     Tliis   is   one   of 
the  advantaseH  of  consolidation  as  it  inalies  such  work  possible. 


CONSOLIDATION    OF    SCHOOLS  ^ 

less  of  wealth;  and  in  return  the  State  is  undoubtedly  richer  because 
of  the  citizenship  of  superior  quality  and  efficiency. 

The  argument  to  be  stressed,  however,  is  not  decreased  expenses 
but  improved  service. 

IV.  Social  Advantages  of  Consolidation.  Consolidation  tends 
toward  a  more  healthy  spirit  in  the  school  and  in  the  community. 
The  outdoor  games,  the  debating  clubs,  literary  societies,  musical 
organizations  and  contests  with  other  schools  all  tend  to  create  a 
school  spirit  which  is  not  possible  under  the  present  one-room  sys- 
tem. Pride  and  public  interest  in  the  school  are  quickened  and  con- 
fidence and  enthusiasm  are  inspired.  These  results  are  possible  only 
when  a  large  number  of  persons  are  brought  together  as  consolida- 
tion brings  them.  The  new  law  requires  consolidated  schools  to 
have  an  auditorium  which  is  used  for  literary  societies,  debating  clubs, 
musical  entertainments,  lectures  and  farmers'  institutes.  This  ar- 
rangement affords  a  common  meeting  place,  a  community  center, 
not  only  for  the  consolidated  district  but  for  a  much  larger  section. 

These  things  are  worth  considering  if  country  life  is  to  be  made 
permanent  and  satisfying.  It  is  natural  for  young  people  to  love 
society  and  to  be  interested  in  all  social  events.  A  community  which 
gives  attention  only  to  hard,  driving  work,  which  makes  no  pro- 
vision for  good,  wholesome  recreation  for  the  young  people  need 
not  be  surprised  if  it  finds  them  drifting  into  the  cities  where  the 
glare  of  electric  lights  and  the  glamour  of  pool  halls  and  cheap 
theaters  are  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  barren  social  life  in  many  country 
communities. 

V.  Better  Attendance.  When  children  are  conveyed  to  school, 
the  problem  of  truancy  and  tardiness  is  pratically  solved.  In  a 
recent  investigation  made  of  275  rural  schools  located  in  different 
sections  of  the  state,  it  was  estimated  that  the  enrollment  in  the  first 
and  second  grades,  the  first  two  years  of  school  work,  was  2071, 
while  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades,  or  the  last  two  years  of 
school  work,  it  was  1175.  This  is  a  great  waste.  Country  people 
would  not  think  of  permitting  such  a  waste  in  their  corn  crop,  their 
cattle  or  their  hogs,  yet  they  are  contented  to  let  these  conditions 
continue  in  their  schools.  Consolidation  improves  attendance.  In 
some  instances  it  has  been  known  to  increase  from  fifty  to  nearly  one 
hundred  per  cent. 

VI.  Better  Teaching.  In  case  the  school  is  centralized  and  all 
the  pupils  are  brought  together  and  classified,  the  improved  condi- 
tions cause  greater  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  teachers  and  greater 
interest  in  their  work.  They  feel  the  effect  of  cooperation  and  pro- 
fessional contact  which  is  a  marked  contrast  to  that  of  one  teacher 
working  alojie  with  no  companionship  but  that  of  children. 


10  UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

Under  consolidation,  the  school  is  graded.  The  teacher  has 
fewer  daily  recitations  which  affords  more  time  for  preparation  and 
longer  recitation  periods. 

If  the  grade  work  is  continued  in  the  original  one-room  build- 
ings (the  "ward  schools"),  there  is  still  some  system  of  organization 
and  cooperation,  and  all  of  the  "ward  schools"  will  be  attempting 
to  do  the  same  line  of  work  in  order  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  high  school.  The  high  school  will  influence  each  teacher  and 
each  school  to  do  the  best  possible.  It  will  increase  attendance  in 
the  "ward  schools"  and  will  more  than  double  the  number  of  pupils 
completing  the  eighth  grade  and  entering  high  school.  It  will  be 
possible  for  the  principal  of  the  central  high  school  to  meet  the 
teachers  of  the  "ward  schools"  for  the  purpose  of  planning  the  work, 
arranging  examinations  and  graduations,  and  considering  other  things 
of  a  professional  nature. 

Consolidation  tends  to  lengthen  the  tenure  of  position.  One  of 
the  evils  of  the  rural  school  system  of  Missouri  is  the  frequent 
change  of  teachers.  It  is  seldom  that  a  teacher  remains  in  one  school 
long  enough  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  conditions.  The 
report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  for  1912  shows 
that  there  are  9868  teachers  in  the  rural  schools  of  Missouri,  and  of 
this  number  6716  or  over  68  per  cent  who  are  teaching  their  first 
year  in  their  present  position.  Consolidated  schools  will  attract 
teachers  of  training  and  experience  and  they  will  be  retained  longer 
in  their  positions. 

VII.  Better  Equipment.  Consolidation  will  bring  about  more 
commodious  schoolhouses  and  better  equipment.  In  a  centralized 
school  there  can  be  many  more  accommodations  because  it  will  not 
be  necessary  to  duplicate  the  apparatus  for  each  separate  school. 
This  would  insure  a  much  better  and  larger  equipment  for  the  school 
as  a  whole.  There  would  also  be  greater  interest  taken  in  the  im- 
provement of  the  grounds  and  the  improvement  and  care  of  the 
building. 

VIII.  Other  Advantages.  The  consolidated  country  school  is 
the  ideal  place  to  get  boys  and  girls  interested  in  the  school  garden, 
in  poultry  management,  dairying,  domestic  science,  agriculture,  and 
manual  training.  It  makes  the  farm  the  ideal  place  in  which  to  bring 
up  children.  It  affords  them  the  culture  necessary  for  good  citizen- 
ship; it  affords  the  vocational  training  necessary  to  success  in  life; 
It  broadens  and  brightens  country  life  and  brings  about  the  closest 
cooperation  between  the  school  and  the  home. 


12  UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

OBJECTIONS  TO   CONSOLIDATION 

A  large  number  of  objections  to  consolidation  are  made,  especially 
hy  those  who  have  never  tried  the  plan.  A  careful  investigation 
«hows  that  where  the  plan  has  been  tried  the  people  are  overwhelm- 
ingly in  favor  of  it.  Only  in  cases  where  there  is  some  natural  disad- 
vantage as  a  large  stream  of  water  flowing  through  the  district  or  some 
•other  considerable  obstacle  has  there  been  any  objection  made  that 
is  worth  while.  Investigation  shows  that  less  than  three  per  cent 
of  the  people  in  consolidated  districts  favor  a  return  to  the  old  sys- 
tem.    Some  of  the  objections  are  the  following: 

I.  Abandonment  of  Old  Buildings.  One  of  the  most  frequently 
mentioned  objections  and  one  that  often  causes  districts  to  hesitate 
to  make  a  trial  of  consolidation,  is  the  necessity  of  abandoning  the 
•old  buildings  and  erecting  a  new  one. 

The  answer  to  this  objection  is  a  plan  that  has  been  tried  in 
many  places.  If  the  school  buildings  are  too  good  to  be  abandoned, 
the  people  should  vote  upon  consolidation  with  the  understanding 
that  the  old  buildings  are  to  be  used.  Two  or  three  of  the  best  build- 
ings could  be  moved  to  the  place  selected  for  the  site  of  the  consoli- 
•dated  school.  One  could  be  used  for  the  elementary  grades,  one  for 
the  advanced  grades  and  one  for  the  high  school  work.  It  is  better, 
however,  to  erect  a  modern  building,  where  all  grades  can  be  taught. 

II.  Increased  Expense.  Many  patrons  oppose  the  plan  on  ac- 
•count  of  the  increased  expense.  In  the  campaign  for  consolidation 
in  Missouri  there  are  really  but  two  objections  to  meet;  one  is  trans- 
portation, the  other  is  the  expense — the  latter  in  fact  includes  the 
•former. 

The  following  statistics  taken  from  reports  of  some  of  the 
counties  in  this  vState  show  the  conditions  of  some  of  the  rural 
schools  and  the  advantages  that  would  be  gained  by  sonsolidation: 
Two  schools  have  a  daily  attendance  of  11  and  26  respectively;  teach- 
ers' salaries  $30.00  and  $50.00  respectively.  By  consolidation  one 
teacher  could  do  the  work  of  the  two  schools  and  there  would  be  a 
saving  of  $30.00  per  month  or  $240.00  for  eight  months.  Four  schools 
"have  a  daily  attendance  of  22,  30,  10  and  13  respectively,  total  attend- 
ance, 75.  Teachers'  salaries  $50.00,  $75.00,  $55.00  and  $50.00,  total 
.$230.  Two  teachers  could  do  the  work  thus  saving  $130.00  per  month 
or  $1040.00  for  eight  months.  Other  examples  might  be  given  but 
these  are  enough  to  show  that  consolidation  would  not  always  in- 
•crease  the  expense.  If  the  children  in  the  four  schools  mentioned 
should  be  provided  with  transportation,  there  would  still  be  money 
saved.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  greatest  gain 
twould  be  in  the  spirit,  interest,  and  efficiency  of  the  school  work. 


CONSOLIDATION   OF    SCHOOLS  13 

It  is  possible  under  consolidation  to  employ  cheap  teachers,  to 
•crowd  the  rooms,  to  run  a  poor  high  school  or  none  at  all  and  by 
this  means  show  a  considerable  saving  in  the  cost.  While  this  plan 
would  please  a  few,  still  it  will  not  be  adopted  by  the  great  majority 
of  patrons  in  Missouri.  Men  may  be  indifferent  and  hard  to  arouse 
■concerning  the  improvement  of  educational  conditions  for  their 
■children;  still,  very  few  will  deliberately  adopt  a  plan  simply  because 
it  is  cheap. 

The  chief  characteristic  of  the  consolidated  school  is  its  effi- 
ciency— its  improved  service;  and  improvement  whether  in  pigs,  cat- 
tle, crops,  or  schools  means  an  expenditure  of  time  and  money. 

A  late  report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education  shows 
that  there  are  nearly  eight  thousand  non-resident  pupils  in  the  high 
schools  of  this  State.  Putting  the  tuition  of  each  pupil  at  $3.00 
per  month  and  supposing  that  one-half  of  them  board  in  town, 
it  is  a  conservative  estimate  to  place  the  tuition  and  board  of  these 
country  students,  for  eight  months,  at  $650,000,  If  this  money  were 
spent  in  rural  high  schools,  it  would  be  sufficient  to  employ  good, 
well-trained  teachers,  pay  janitor  bills,  and  other  expenses;  and  then 
provide  transportation  for  all  pupils  of  the  consolidated  district.  If 
rural  high  schools  should  be  established  throughout  the  State,  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  the  number  of  country  students  attending 
high  schools  would  be  doubled  at  once. 

III.  Objection  to  Giving  Up  Local  Organization. — There  are 
some  who  claim  that  if  the  local  board  is  abolished  and  the  affairs 
of  the  consolidated  district  are  put  into  the  hands  of  six  men  chosen 
as  directors,  that  all  kinds  of  calamities  will  follow.  They  say  that 
there  will  be  discrimination  against  the  locality  in  which  they  live 
and  that  they  will  have  no  voice  in  the  management  of  the  consoli- 
dated school.  There  are  two  good  answers.  One  is  that  where 
consolidation  has  been  tried — in  thirty-five  states,  and  in  some  states 
for  over  twenty  years — no  complaint  of  this  nature  has  ever  been 
made. 

The  other  answer  is  that  consolidated  rural  school  of  Missouri 
would  probably  be  composed  of  three,  four,  or  five  districts  uniting, 
with  an  aggregate  enumeration  of  200  pupils.  All  cities  have  a  board 
of  directors  which  handles  great  problems,  large  expenditures,  some- 
times amounting  to  millions  of  dollars,  and  scores  of  ward  schools 
and  handles  them  with  great  efficiency. 

For  instance,  Kansas  City  has  79  schools,  1043  teachers  and  37,937 
pupils.  The  board  is  composed  of  six  members,  one  member  for 
about  13  schools,  174  teachers  and  6323  pupils.  St.  Louis  has  114 
schools,  2165  teachers  and  88,002  pupils.  The  board  is  composed  of 
12  members,  one  member  for  about  9  schools,  180  teachers  and  7333 


14  UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

pupils.  If  the  boards  of  these  two  cities  can  look  after  the  interests 
of  this  number  of  schools,  teachers  and  pupils  to  the  general  satis- 
faction of  all  concerned,  it  does  seem  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a 
board  of  six  intelligent  farmers  could  take  care  of  a  consolidated 
district  of  three,  four  or  five  teachers  and  two  hundred  pupils,  in  a 
fair  and  impartial  manner. 

IV.  Dirt  Roads.  Some  argue  that  consolidation  will  not  be  pos- 
sible in  Missouri  until  the  state  has  some  system  of  macadamized 
roads.  This  argument  can  be  answered  In  a  few  words.  Iowa  and 
Illinois  have  consolidated  schools  and  are  transporting  the  children 
over  dirt  roads.  In  the  John  Swaney  School,  Putnam  County,  Illi- 
nois, where  the  soil  is  as  black  and  as  deep  as  can  be  found,  the 
school  vehicles  pass  over  dirt  roads  and  yet  there  is  no  complaint 
made  along  this  line. 

The  dirt  roads  of  Missouri  are  bad  enough  and  should  be  im- 
proved. There  is  no  argument  against  that  fact,  but  when  milk,  but- 
ter, coal,  feed  and  the  mail  are  delivered  daily  over  these  roads  there 
seems  no  good  reason  why  children  could  not  be  conveyed  to  school 
over  them. 

V.  Careless  Drivers.  Many  seem  to  think  that  careless  drivers 
will  be  employed  who  will  not  attend  to  the  comforts  of  the  children. 
Where  this  plan  has  been  tried  it  has  been  satisfactory.  Drivers  are 
required  to  sign  a  contract  to  start  at  a  certain  hour  and  to  deliver 
the  children  at  school  on  time.  The  driver  is  required  to  furnish  a 
good  safe  team  and  a  wagon  fitted  with  seats  and  a  good  cover.  He 
gives  bond  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty. 

VI.  Cost  of  Transportation.  The  cost  per  pupil  for  transporta- 
tion ranges  from  $1.00  to  $3.00  per  month.  In  some  localities  no" 
transportation  is  provided  by  the  public,  but  each  family  makes  its 
own  arrangement.  It  has  been  true  in  nearly  every  consolidated  dis- 
trict where  the  schools  have  been  centralizd,  that  the  saving  in  teach- 
ers' salaries  (a  smaller  number  of  teachers  being  needed)  will  nearly 
or  quite  meet  the  expense  of  transportation.  In  many  cases,  large 
boys  who  attend  the  high  school  are  employed  to  drive  the  convey- 
ance. As  they  desire  to  be  in  school  and  often  would  use  a  horse 
or  team  for  their  own  convenience,  they  can  be  employed  to  do  this 
work  at  very  reasonable  wages.  No  complaint  has  come  from  this 
arrangement  where  it  has  been  tried. 

VII.  Selfishness.  Some  patrons  who  live  in  large,  wealthy  dis- 
tricts object  to  consolidation  on  the  ground  that  their  district  would 
do  more  for  the  consolidated  school  than  the  small,  weak  districts. 
The  same  argument  might  be  used  by  the  large  land  owners  and 
wealthy  people  of  any  district,  yet  no  one  would  hardly  propose  that 
the    poor   man's   child    should    stop    school   at   the    end   of    the   third. 


CONSOLIDATION    OP    SCHOOLS  15 

fourth,  or  fifth  year  because  its  father  did  not  pay  as  much  tax  as 
some  others.  No,  when  it  comes  to  education  the  American  people 
3.S  a  rule  are  very  democratic;  they  believe  in  giving  every  child  an 
equal  opportunity.  Again,  considering  its  ability  to  pay  the  levy 
the  poor  district  might  do  much  more  in  proportion  to  its  valuation 
than  the  wealthy  one.  As  this  objection  is  founded  upon  selfishness 
pure  and  simple,  it  is  necessary  to  get  the  one  using  it  to  see  that  as 
a  citizen  he  owes  some  duty  to  his  neighbors   and  to  his  country. 

VIII.  Other  Objections.  The  assertion  has  been  made  that 
when  children  from  diflferent  homes  are  conveyed  in  the  same  wagon, 
there  will  be  great  danger  of  spreading  contagious  diseases.  Ohio 
"has  a  large  number  of  consolidated  schools.  The  former  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  speaking  upon  that  subject  says: 
""I  can  truthfully  say  that  the  experience  of  Ohio  for  the  past  fifteen 
years  has  shown  that  there  is  no  valid  ground  for  this  objection." 
There  is  less  danger  in  a  wagon  than  in  a  poorly  ventilated  and  over- 
heated school  room. 

There  are  other  objections  made  such  as  children  will  be  away 
from  home  longer,  they  will  be  required  to  eat  cold  lunch,  many 
teachers  will  be  thrown  out  of  employment,  etc.  These  are  not  real 
objections  but  simply  excuses  made  by  those  opposed  to  consolida- 
tion. 

In  concluding  the  objections,  it  is  worth  while  to  state  again 
that  the  greatest  objection  is  the  increased  expense.  It  should  be 
1)orne  in  mind,  however,  that  there  can  be  no  substantial  improve- 
ment of  schools  or  anything  else  without  expenditure  of  money. 

CONSOLIDATION  IN  MISSOURI 

'Consolidation  in  Missouri  began  in  1902.  Four  districts  united 
in  organizing  what  is  known  as  the  Ruskin  High  School  near  Hick- 
man Mills  in  Jackson  County.  The  grade  work  is  continued  in  the 
four  original  one-room  buildings.  The  eighth  grade  work  and  four 
.years  of  high  school  work  are  done  in  the  central  or  high  school 
building. 

There  are  four  teachers  in  the  "ward  schools" — one  for  each 
building — and  three  in  the  high  school.  The  enumeration  of  the  con- 
-solidated  district  is  243;  the  enrollment  in  the  four  "ward  schools" 
is  172  and  in  the  high  school  40. 

The  salary  of  the  principal  of  the  high  school  is  $100.00  per 
month,  of  the  two  assistants  $65.00  each;  of  the  "ward  school"  teach- 
^ers  $50.00  each.  The  amount  spent  for  school  purposes  the  last  year 
was  $4781.94,  the  levy  being  sixty  cents  on  the  one  hundred  dollar 
•on  the  assessed  valuation  of  $625,000. 


16 


UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 


Buskin  High  School,  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  situated  in  the  open 
country.      Missouri    needs    one   hundred    schools   of  this    type. 

There  were  eleven  graduates  from  the  common  school  course 
this  year  and  six  from  the  high  school. 

This  school  represents  a  type  of  rural  consolidation  where  the 
high  school  is  located  in  the  open  country  and  the  grade  work  is 
done  in  the  original  buildings. 

Elmer,  Macon  County,  is  a  type  of  consolidation  where  a  village 
is  used  as  a  center  and  all  the  work  is  done  in  a  central  building. 
No  arrangement  is  made  for  transportation.  The  children  come  from 
the  three  original  districts,  some  a  distance  of  three  miles,  but  no 
complaint  is  made  and  the  people  are  pleased  with  the  plan. 

There  are  a  number  of  schooJs  in  the  State  that  have  been  formed 
by  one  or  more  districts  or  parts  of  districts  voting  to  become  a 
part  of  another  district.  Some  of  these  are  doing  high  school  work, 
but  they  were  not  organized  under  the  law  providing  for  consolida- 
tion. 

There  is  not  a  consolidated  school  in  Missouri  where  all  the 
grade  and  high  school  work  is  centralized  in  a  building  located  in 
the  open  country.  This  is  the  next  move  in  the  educational  advance- 
ment of  the  State. 

HOW  TO  CONSOLIDATE. 

Before  attempting  any  movement  for  consolidation,  those  inter- 
ested in  the  matter  should  make  a  careful  study  of  the  two  laws,  one- 


CONSOLIDATION   OF    SCHOOLS  J^- 

providing  for  consolidation  and  the  other  for  joint  high  schools  and 
decide  which  plan  they  prefer.  The  important  points  of  both  laws 
are  given  on  pages  18  and  19, 

In  case  a  community  chooses  to  consolidate,  the  method  of  pro- 
cedure is  very  simple,  which  is  to  secure  a  petition  of  twenty-five 
qualified  voters  in  the  community  affected,  stating  that  they  desire 
to  form  a  consolidated  district;  the  petition  should  then  be  filed  with 
the  county  superintendent  of  public  schools.  The  county  superin- 
tendent will  then  visit  the  community  and  in  conference  with  the  cit- 
izens affected,  will  proceed  to  lay  out  the  consolidated  district,  make 
a  plat  of  the  same,  post  notices  of  election  and  call  the  meeting  to 
order  or  deputize  someone  to  act  in  his  place. 

Before  circulating  a  petition,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
proposed  consolidated  district  must  contain  at  least  twelve  square 
miles  of  territory,  or,  have  at  least  an  enumeration  of  two  hundred 
children  of  school  age.  In  making  this  estimate,  the  proposed  con- 
solidated district  must  not  include  within  its  territory  any  town  or 
city  which  has  by  the  last  enumeration  two  hundred  children  of 
school  age. 

Procedure.  After  the  notices  are  posted,  it  is  time  to  arrange 
for  public  meetings.  The  aim  of  these  meetings  is  to  show  the  ad- 
vantages of  consolidation  and  to  answer  objections.  It  may  be  best 
first  to  hold  a  meeting  of  those  who  are  in  favor  of  the  measure  in 
order  to  decide  upon  a  campaign.  There  should  be  a  meeting  in  each 
district  or  part  of  district  affected  and  a  strong  effort  should  be 
made  to  get  as  many  as  possible  to  attend.  Men,  women  and  children 
should  be  urged  to  be  present.  It  often  happens  that  boys  and  girls 
who  are  ready  to  enter  a  high  school  are  the  first  to  see  the  advan- 
tages of  consolidation  and  not  infrequently  women  become  strong 
supporters  of  the  measure  before  the  men  are  aroused.  Good  speak- 
ers who  are  interested  in  consolidation  should  be  secured  for  these 
meetings.     A  whirlwind  campaign  should  be  carried  on. 

By  a  little  effort  some  public  spirited  citizen  or  citizens  may  be 
induced  to  donate  a  suitable  site  for  the  central  building.  Not  less 
than  five  acres  can,  according  to  law,  be  considered  for  this  purpose. 
Some  generous  gifts  have  been  made  to  public  schools  in  the  way  of 
campus,  library  and  other  equipment,  and  others  will  be  made  when 
the  matter  is  properly  presented. 

There  should  be  a  strong  organization  for  the  purpose  of  push- 
ing the  campaign.  There  should  be  a  local  committee  of  three  for 
each  district  or  part  of  district  affected  to  push  the  campaign.  There 
should  be  an  executive  committee  composed  of  some  one  from  each 
comprised  in  the  proposed  consolidated  district.    The  executive  conw 


28  UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

mittee  should  meet  often.  There  will  be  questions  arising  and  im- 
portant matters  to  be  considered  which  the  friends  of  the  proposition 
should  know.  All  facts  should  be  made  as  clear  as  possible.  Some- 
times people  vote  against  consolidation  because  the  law  and  the  facts 
Jiave  not  been  made  clear. 

The  valuation  of  the  proposed  consolidated  district,  the  number 
of  teachers  that  will  probably  be  needed,  the  length  of  the  school 
term  and  the  levy  necessary  for  maintaining  the  school  should  all 
be  considered;  there  should  be  no  room  for  any  misunderstanding 
on  any  of  these  points.  There  should  be  a  mass  meeting  of  all  the 
^districts  or  parts  of  districts  affected  just  before  the  date  for  voting. 
This  will  give  an  opportunity  to  clear  up  anything  that  may  not  be 
.understood  and  to  answer  all  objections  that  may  have  been  made. 

LAW  ON  CONSOLIDATION 

Some  important  provisions  of  the  law  on  consolidation  are  the 
following:  A  petition  signed  by  twenty-five  qualified  voters  of  the 
community  shall  be  filed  with  the  county  superintendent.  It  then 
becomes  his  duty  to  investigate  the  needs  of  the  community  and  to 
determine  the  boundary  lines  of  the  proposed  consolidated  district. 
The  district  must  contain  at  least  twelve  square  miles  of  territory 
or  have  an  enumeration  of  at  least  two  hundred  children  of  school 
age.  No  district  shall  be  formed  which  shall  include  within  its  ter- 
ritory any  town  or  city  district  enumerating  two  hundred  children 
of  school  age. 

The  county  superintendent  shall  call  a  special  meeting  of  the 
qualified  voters  of  the  proposed  consolidated  district.  He  shall  make 
the  call  by  posting  within  the  proposed  district  ten  notices  in  public 
.places,  stating  the  time,  place  and  purpose  of  meeting.  The  notice 
shall  be  given  fifteen  days  before  the  date  set  for  the  meeting.  The 
superintendent  shall  also  post  five  plats  of  the  proposed  district  fif- 
teen days  prior  to  the  time  of  the  meeting.  These  plats  and  notices 
-shall  be  posted  within  thirty  days  after  the  filing  of  the  petition. 
The  superintendent  shall  file  a  copy  of  petition  and  of  plat  with  the 
county  clerk  and  shall  send  or  take  one  plat  to  the  special  meeting. 
The  meeting  shall  be  called  to  order  by  the  county  superintendent 
of  schools  or  some  one  deputized  by  him  to  call  the  meeting  to  order. 
The  meeting  shall  then  elect  a  chairman  and  secretary  and  proceed 
in  accordance  with  section  10865,  Revised  Statutes,  1909.  If  a  ma- 
jority vote  in  favor  of  the  proposition  it  is  carried.  The  meeting 
should  then  proceed  to  elect  six  directors,  two  for  three  years,  two 
for  two  years  and  two  for  one  year.  Directors  must  be  elected  by 
ballot,  one  at  a  time. 


CONSOLIDATION   OF    SCHOOLS  \g 

Transportation  may  be  voted  on  at  the  special  meeting,  if  notice 
of  the  same  is  given.  It  requires  two-thirds  of  the  votes  cast  on 
transportation  to  carry  the  proposition.  If  transportation  is  not  pro- 
vided it  shall  then  be  the  duty  of  the  board  to  maintain  an  elemen- 
tary school  within  two  and  one-half  miles  by  the  nearest  traveled 
road  of  the  home  of  each  child  of  school  »ge  within  the  school  dis- 
trict. 

If  transportation  is  not  provided,  a  consolidated  district  may  de- 
cide by  a  majority  vote  at  any  annual  or  special  meeting  to  have  the 
seventh  and  eighth  grade  work  done  at  the  central  high  school  build- 
ing. This  work  may  be  discontinued  at  the  central  high  school  build- 
ing by  a  majority  vote  taken  at  any  annual  or  special  meeting. 

Whenever  a  consolidated  district  shall  have  secured  a  site  of  not 
less  than  five  acres  and  shall  have  erected  a  building  thereon  suitable 
for  a  central  school  and  containing  one  large  assembly  room  and 
shall  have  installed  a  modern  system  of  heating  and  ventilating,  the 
Scate  shall  pay  one-fourth  of  the  cost  of  the  building  and  equipment, 
provided  the  amount  which  the  State  pays  does  not  exceed  two 
thousand  dollars  ($2000.00). 

When  a  consolidated  district  has  provided  an  adequate  building, 
the  State  shall  grant  a  special  aid  of  twenty-five  dollars  ($25.00)  per 
year  for  each  square  mile,  or  fraction  thereof,  of  territory  included  in 
the  consolidated  district  provided  the  district  maintains  an  improved 
high  school  of  the  third  class  and  gives  an  approved  course  in  agri- 
culture for  one  year,  but  no  district  shall  receive  more  than  eight 
hundred  dollars   ($800.00)   under  the  provisions  of  this  section. 

The  full  text  of  the  consolidation  law  of  1913  may  be  secured  by 
writing  the  Honorable  Wm.  P.  Evans,  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  Jefferson  City,  Missouri. 

JOINT   HIGH    SCHOOL 

Section  10852,  p.  62,  of  the  School  T^aws  of  Missouri  provides  for 
the  establishment  of  Joint  High  Schools.  The  difference  between  this 
class  of  schools  and  consolidated  schools  should  be  clearly  under- 
stood. The*  two  are  often  confused;  sometimes  when  a  plan  for 
consolidation  is  submitted,  the  misunderstanding  due  to  the  confu- 
sion of  the  two  plans,  contributes  in  a  large  measure  to  the  defeat  of 
the  proposition. 

The  section  referred  to  provides  that  when  any  district  will  fur- 
nish, heat,  and  keep  in  order  a  room  or  rooms  for  high  school  pur- 
poses, then  any  three  or  more  districts  may  unite  with  it  for  the  pur- 
pose of  maintaining  a  joint  high  school.  The  section  further  pro- 
vides that  not  over  twenty  per  cent  of  the  teachers'  funds  shall  be 
set  aside  for  this  purpose.     This  law  is  not  equitable;  it  places  the 


«     C      V      ''   . 


20  UNIVERSITY   OF   MISSOURI   BULLETIN 

burden  on  one  district  to  build,  equip,  and  keep  up  a  room  or  rooms 
to  be  used  for  high  school  purposes.  Again,  it  requires  the  other 
districts  which  unite  with  it  to  set  aside  only  one-fifth  of  the  teach- 
ers' fund  for  the  maintenance  of  the  high  school.  The  average  rural 
district  does  not  pay  more  than  $50.00  per  month;  one  fifth  would 
be  $10.00  per  month;  there  would  be  only  $30.00  per  month  coming 
from  these  three  districts  to  be  used  for  high  school  instruction. 
Any  one  can  see  that  this  arrangement  is  not  fair.  In  the  last  twenty 
years  there  has  been  only  two  joint  high  schools  established  in  Mis- 
souri. The  law  should  be  repealed  or  so  modified  that  it  would 
be  equitable. 

TRANSPORTATION    • 

The  School  Law  of  Missouri  provides  for  the  transportation  of 
pupils.  Whenever  it  is  deemed  advisable  by  the  school  board  or 
when  the  board  is  petitioned  by  ten  taxpayers,  the  question  must  be 
submitted  to  the  qualified  voters  at  the  annual  or  a  special  meeting. 
The  proposition  must  be  carried  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  tax- 
payers, p.  9,  School  Laws  of  Missouri,  1911. 

Only  pupils  living  more  than  one-half  mile  from  the  school  build- 
ing can  be  provided  with  transportation.  The 'board  has  power  to 
make  all  needful  rules  and  regulations  for  the  transportation  of  pupils 
and  must  require  a  reasonable  bond  from  every  person  employed  for 
that  purpose. 

When  transportation  is  provided  at  public  expense,  the  district 
should  provide  the  wagon  and  hire  the  driver  who  furnishes  the  team. 
The  number  of  drivers  will  depend  on  the  number  of  children.  In 
some  districts  common  wagons  are  used  fitted  up  with  water  tight 
curtains.  Some  schools  use  the  ordinary  wagon  box  with  seats  ar- 
ranged along  the  sides  and  with  a  water-proof  cover  and  side  cur- 
tains. Some  use  wagons  with  springs  like  the  dray  wagons  or  those 
used  for  express  purposes,  while  others  use  wagons  which  look  very 
much  like  a  bus.  The  kind  of  wagon  needed  can  easily  be  deter- 
mined by  the  district,  and  will  depend  largely  upon  the  amount  of 
money  to  be  invested   for  this  purpose. 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
BIdg.  400,  Richnnond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richnnond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 

(415)642-6233 
1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books 

to  NRLF 
Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days 

prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

LIBRARY  USE 


■y-r 


LiD  21-100m-8 '34 


YC  0437X 


333283 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 

BULLETIN 


EXTENSION  SERIES 


EDITED  BY 

SAMUEL  D.  GROMER 


Published  by 

UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSOURI 

Columbia,  Missouri 

Issued  Quarterly 


Entered  at  tbe  postoffice  at  Columbia,  Mis- 
souri, as  second-class  matter,  April  9,  3913,  under 
Act   of   August   24,    1912. 


Copies  of  the  University  of  Missouri  Bulletin,  Extension  Series, 
lay  be  obtained  from  the  Secretary  of  University  Extension,  Colum- 
ia,  Missouri.  i5fX)0 


